MT: Does the Legislature have a role?

Pruss: You need good policy and that policy needs to be manifested in good legislation. There is a job to be done, a challenge to educate the Michigan legislature.

MT: But there is opposition to elements of green energy, wind power, for example. Why hasn't wind power been universally embraced?

Pruss: There are technical issues and economic issues. But perhaps the single biggest issue is the aesthetic issue. People are worried about spoiling their view with the turbines. An interesting fact about that is that there is technology that's being developed for floating platforms and the larger turbines that will be available in future years will allow offshore wind to be deployed in the middle of Lake Michigan or the middle of Lake Huron where the aesthetic issues are no longer issues.

MT: So what's holding back the green economy?

Pruss: I think there has to be a confluence between educational efforts, technology development and economic opportunity. Right now, a lot of people may not understand it, may not embrace it, may think it's wild-ass stuff, but the international investment communities all understand it. It's just a matter of how long and how great the learning curve is going to be in Michigan.

> Email Sandra Svoboda